Soil-biodegradable mulch films (certified to EN 17033: starch/PLA/PBAT/PHA blends) and paper/organic mulches — instead of conventional polyethylene (PE) mulch films that fragment into soil microplastics

Replaces: PE and oxo-degradable mulch films · Scope: vegetable and horticultural production · Evidence: medium–high

The chemical problem#

Mulch films raise yields (soil warming, weed control, water saving), but PE film cannot be fully removed: thin films tear, and the residues accumulate in soil. In China, where mulch covers about 20 million ha, residual film levels of tens to hundreds of kg/ha have been reported in some regions, reducing yields and water infiltration. “Oxo-degradable” films only fragment faster into microplastics, and the EU banned them in 2021 (Directive (EU) 2019/904). Burning retrieved film in fields releases dioxins and soot.

Product overview#

1. Certified soil-biodegradable mulch films (EN 17033:2018): biodegradation in soil of at least 90 % within 2 years, plus ecotoxicity tests. Materials: starch-based blends (Mater-Bi), PLA/PBAT blends, PHA (microbially produced polyesters). Films are ploughed into the soil after the season, where soil microbes degrade them.
2. Paper mulch and organic mulches (straw, wood chips, compost) for some crops.
3. Living mulches and cover crops (see the crop articles).

Active ingredient / Composition#

Starch, PLA (fermentation-derived lactic acid), PBAT (biodegradable but partly fossil-based), PHA (bacterial fermentation), additives; paper.

Key facts#

Advantages#

• No plastic residue accumulation when certified films are used.
• Saves the retrieval and disposal cost (often decisive economically).
• Bio-based share (starch, PLA, PHA) reduces fossil carbon.

Mode of action#

Soil microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) secrete enzymes (esterases, lipases, cutinases) that hydrolyze the polymer chains; the fragments are assimilated and mineralized to CO₂ and biomass.

Application#

Limitations#

• Higher price per ha than PE; performance in very long seasons or cold soils (slow degradation in northern climates) must be checked.
• Some formulations include fossil-based biodegradable polymers (PBAT). “Bio-based” and “biodegradable” are different properties.
• Biodegradation in cold, dry soils is slower, so use local trials.

Evidence of displacement — D1: works, adoption not proven#

Verified figures (the number is in the quoted sentence and the sentence is on the source page):

• displacement — In 2026, biodegradable mulch paper is estimated to represent approximately 12–18% of the total EU mulch film area. (European Union, 2026; weak: indexbox.io)

Suppliers — real products and services (from the vendor index)#

Companies below are active vendors in the vendor index whose own card (profile / official website) shows this product or service — matched 2026-09-28 by keyword and checked by hand against the card text. Being listed is not an endorsement; open each card for evidence, contacts and status.

Government funding signals#

Public grants for a specific technology are a leading indicator: governments fund what regulators want to replace and what is close to practical adoption. Searched on 2026-09-27 in: EU CORDIS (FP7, Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe), US federal awards (USAspending: USDA NIFA/ARS/APHIS/Forest Service, EPA, DOE, NOAA, USAID; plus NSF and NIH), UK UKRI Gateway to Research, Australian Research Council. Each grant below was reviewed by hand for relevance. China, Brazil and India are covered in the subsection below (publication-acknowledged grants). Not covered: Russia (RSF, FASIE — not reachable from the research environment) and national agencies outside these databases. Amounts are the funder’s contribution as recorded (US NIH/UKRI: per award or fiscal year).

Signal: Strong. 3 relevant grant(s) · about €6.0M in total · jurisdictions: EU, USA.

China, Brazil, India — national research grants acknowledged in publications#

Chinese, Brazilian and Indian funders have no open grant databases reachable here, so this measures scientific papers published since 2015 that acknowledge national government grants, taken from the grant numbers publishers deposit with Crossref. Only papers whose title contains this article’s key terms are counted (a conservative lower bound; “100+” = search window full). It shows research-funding intensity, not budgets. Funders: China — NSFC, National Key R&D Program, China Agriculture Research System; Brazil — CNPq, CAPES, FAPESP, Embrapa, FAPEMIG; India — DBT, DST, ICAR, SERB, CSIR, BIRAC. Rating per country: Strong ≥50 papers · Moderate 10–49 · Weak 1–9.

Scientific evidence#

• Steinmetz Z, Wollmann C, Schaefer M, et al. (2016). Plastic mulching in agriculture. Trading short-term agronomic benefits for long-term soil degradation? Science of the Total Environment 550: 690–705.
• Sintim HY, Flury M (2017). Is biodegradable plastic mulch the solution to agriculture’s plastic problem? Environmental Science & Technology 51: 1068–1069.
• Kasirajan S, Ngouajio M (2012). Polyethylene and biodegradable mulches for agricultural applications: a review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 32: 501–529.
• CEN (2018). EN 17033:2018 Plastics — Biodegradable mulch films for use in agriculture and horticulture — Requirements and test methods.

Bioeconomy value#

Microbially degradable polymers (partly from starch, sugar and bacterial fermentation) close the loop in the field, preventing a persistent pollutant in farm soils.